Safety efforts highlighted for TF school board

Thompson Falls School District administrators held the first school board meeting covering a full week of school on Monday evening. The big shindig on the horizon is Homecoming week, set for September 24-29, with the annual parade taking place on the Thursday before the volleyball game (Sept. 27), rather than the usual Friday before the football game (there is no school Friday).

Principals from each school presented the trustees, superintendent and clerk with their reports regarding kicking off a new school year. With education being paramount, principals shared the steps taken to ensure a safe learning environment with plans for continued safety on campus.

Elementary principal Len Dorscher shared that safety procedures hadn't changed much, but that new staff needed to be filled in on the latest and returning educators were able to get a refresher course. Emergency bags that are in each classroom were reviewed and updated, and new additions to those crisis tools will be added to. School Resource Officer Bob Thornhill, from the Thompson Falls City Police Department, went over safety measures and presented a new video to educators outlining the "Run, Hide, Fight" strategies becoming popular within the nation's schools. Thornhill will be visiting each classroom to visit with teachers individually about the best practices for their particular locations. He and the district's safety team will be meeting this week to cover even more emergency subjects.

At the Thompson Falls City Council meeting, also on Monday, Mayor Mark Sheets announced that Thornhill will be retiring at the end of the school year. The mayor and council members commended Thornhill and expressed that they were sad to see him retire, but said they appreciated being given advance notice. Thornhill told the mayor he would be willing to help train a new school resource officer.

At the school board meeting, Dorscher was also pleased the board approved the hiring of Julie Detlaff as a third-grade aide, sharing that her first day was a hit and she is a good match for the position.

Junior High principal Rochelle Dickson noted that because of the close proximity of the elementary campus, information and presentations are often shared to eliminate the need for extra meetings. A junior high evacuation drill was held August 29 to keep students familiar with their designated evacuation meeting location and how to safely move the student body off campus. The junior high emergency bags will also be updated, and Dickson noted that 24 staff attended the school's recent CPR recertification workshop. Teacher Jase Miller was approved for the position of tech coordinator for grades 5-8, filling the vacancy left by Krystin Slater.

High school principal Rich Ferris echoed the improvements to safety, but also lauded the high school's summer program and credit recovery opportunities for students, as well as the Running Start program that helps youth get a jump on college while still in high school. With 156 summer course credits earned, Ferris credits Gear Up and the program's local liaison, Penny Beckman, with being the driving and financial force behind Running Start. He also thanked school counselor Jodi Morgan for her efforts in keeping kids on track to be college bound. Ferris also explained a change in the school's attendance tracking ability, with a new system that counts student actual time in class by the minute – rather than the old way that just called a tardy "half of a period" attended.

"I think this will give us a much clearer picture on actual attendance rates," Ferris clarified. Ferris also shared that the school's new advisory groups are serving their purpose of helping staff and students get to know each other better, as well as students who may not know one another very well. The groups of 15 meet every two weeks with different subjects as the focus. Students will stay in these groups throughout their time at Falls high school. "I think it is good for the kids to get to know us staff in a different light, as well as communicating with each other face to face, rather than over the phone or through social networking," Ferris added.

Athletic Director Jake Mickelson reported that fall sports are off to a good start. He noted that traditionally homecoming happens after every sport has had a home event, including cross country that will hold their invitational meet at River's Bend Golf Course, Thursday, September 20 – hosting every Montana school able to attend, no matter the size. He shared that the event is quite a happening with various schools setting up camp for the day and the pristine grounds of the course being the perfect place to hold a meet of that size and class.

Business was handled by the trustees, including the approval of new textbooks for the science department in the high school to be in accordance with North West Curriculum. Ferris shared that he and science teacher Eric Nygaard prefer to get back to textbooks for education, and not just for nostalgia's sake.

"There is a big focus on vocabulary in high school sciences," said Ferris. "Among other positives, the textbook version of these science classes helps to present that in a way that sticks with students." He shared that the district's science credit curriculum and criteria haven't been updated in a long time and this change would put student experience more in line with the state standard and will help with standardized testing. New superintendent Bill Cain shared that he is fully supportive of a strong science department and feels positive about the update.

Cain also shared that his time thus far in the district has been a positive one and he's been grateful for the outreach from community members and staff as he becomes more familiar with the area and the staff. He enjoyed a training excursion with Ferris prior to the start of the school year. And he has been thankful to be able to spend so much time with staff and students on each campus, rather than being trapped in the office, "That kind of time is my favorite. I think administrators miss a lot that is going on if they aren't able to do that."

The heaviest news for the district in the last year has been some confusion with the school's budget numbers that did not match up with the county's accounting last year. Taking on her first full school year, district clerk Stacy Milner had a steep learning curve when she took on the position last November and received glowing reports from former superintendent Jason Slater as she and others worked together to get the numbers in balance.

Monday's meeting had Milner reporting that all is well and on track for the upcoming year and everything has been sorted out.

"I have been utilizing many resources that are available to make sure there won't be any question about our budget this year," said Milner. "I'm glad to have these contacts who can work with us to make sure we stay on track." Milner noted that the education finance world is a "behemoth," that doesn't just have one single person to report to. She stated she has multiple contacts at the Office of Public Instruction who are able to compare Milner's findings and affirm that the proper steps are being taken.

Milner has also been utilizing a group formed specifically to help school clerks. "Montana Association of School Business Officials (MASBO) is full of contacts with extensive experience who have been a wealth of information and help," shared Milner. "My mentor Mary Smith has years of experience from being Trout Creek's school clerk and in her position with the county." Milner is glad to have the contacts as safeguards and for redundancy checks.

In closing the meeting, Cain drew attention to personalized blue and gold mugs in front of each trustee. "These are my gift to you," said Cain, gesturing to the mugs that read in bold letters: We've Got Your Back. "I hope that message is clear every day, and I look forward to working with everyone this school year."